Before Team USA's Olympic marathoners tackle the hills of Paris, they must pass through the Harlem Hills in Central Park.
For their final race before the 2024 Paris Olympics, marathoners Emily Sisson, Fiona O'Keefe and Dakota Lindwurm will take on NYRR's Mastercard New York Mini 10K on June 8th.
The women-only race, which started in 1972, is Sisson's favorite because of the “energy” of the runners, she tells PEOPLE.
“The crowds are crazy because you’re just in Central Park most of the time,” she says. “There are so many women out there supporting their friends and family and supporting everyone. This energy is really fun and I think everyone is in great spirits.”
This will be O'Keefe and Lindwurm's first time competing in a mini.
“Due to the short distance of the race, I feel like it's a good opportunity to really practice race tactics,” O'Keefe, who won the Olympic marathon trials and earned her first spot in the U.S., tells PEOPLE.
Lindwurm agrees. “NYRR always puts together a great field, so it's going to be fun to challenge myself where I don't feel like it's appropriate for a shorter race,” she tells PEOPLE. “I’ve never done a mini before so I’m looking forward to getting my toes wet there.”
The three runners will be in the midst of preparing for the Olympic Marathon when it starts in New York, so they plan to use the race primarily as a day of speed work in between double-digit long runs.
“I want to give it my all on the day and give it my all, but the Olympics are the big goal, so I don’t see this as a big thing to prepare for, but a step in the preparation,” O’Keefe says. . “I think this race will help us be stronger when we line up in Paris.”
After the mini, the three women will return to training for Paris, where they plan to tackle a “challenging” course with lots of elevation changes, Sison said.
“I’m looking forward to the race,” she says of the Olympic marathon. “It's definitely a challenging course. I think it's going to change things up a little bit.”
“I'm also looking forward to training because it's completely different from what I've been doing to strengthen my last marathon. I think it's fun to switch things up and keep things fresh and feel new.” .”
And while American women have traditionally struggled to beat the world's fastest women, such as Kenya's Helen Obiri and the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan, Americans like Molly Seidel, who won bronze in the marathon, This marathon is full of surprises. I am familiar with the Tokyo Olympics.
“Once I get there, I'm just going to take it all in and enjoy it,” says Sisson, the American marathon record holder. “You never know how many experiences like that you'll get in your career. I never like to count myself out.”